Bush Claims Right to Open Citizen’s Mail without Warrants -- If anyone had thought that President George “LBJ” Bush had taken November’s mid-term election results to heart, they were brutally disabused by a December 20 signing statement that came to light yesterday. In an exclusive, New York’s Daily News (which has already scooped the New York Times twice in 2007) reports that the president’s signing statement “provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection in a manner consistent ... with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances.” That’s an exception so broad that an entire division of storm troopers could goosestep through it.

Ethiopia Helps Somalia Kick Out Fascislamic Forces -- Back in June, this journal wrote of the collapse of Somalia’s military in the face of the Islamic Courts Union jihadis. Sharia law was imposed and Al Qaeda’s pals were in control. Much better news arrived this week with the ouster of the jihadis by Somali and Ethiopian troops. Kenya has sealed its Somali border with tanks and troops, and the US has war ships off the coast providing support. Now, comes the hard part, preventing an Iraq-Nam style insurgency.

Belarus Tries Taxing Russian Oil in Transit -- Belarus, like many former Soviet republics, saw the fuel bill from Russia soar recently. Just ahead of a New Year’s Day deadline, the country agreed to pay $100 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas, up from $47. Yesterday, Belarus announced that all Russian oil headed for parts to the west across its territory will be taxed at a rate of $45 per ton. It’s a great idea, except that it can’t be done.

Australia’s Cricketers Whitewash English Tourists in Ashes Triumph -- The last time the English national cricket team lost all five test matches in the Ashes competition against Australia was during the 1920-21 tour. Cricket historians say that the trouncing the Aussies handed the Poms was worse then than the one they suffered this time around. Still, for a side that got handed MBEs by the Queen of England for their service to sport, this was an unbridled disaster. At the same time, Australia’s cricketers proved their own greatness.